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I like the idea of the prisoners having been captured by deldar having diff paints and the like, though it would probably be inhibiting pain inducing armor then the regular (wraithbone?) armor.

Funny though I was just reading the other day on warseer about new dark eldar 5th edition codex rumors. One was that they would get a meatshield unit of slaves from different races and the like. I could see then prodding em forward on foot to outflank the enemy a bit more then the flying slave spewer though :P

So, yeah, porting to Soulstorm went fine and dandy . . except I can't handle trawling through large Corsix-created files and I wanted to reduce them to nice simple inheriting file i.e. ones created by Relic's AE.

Now, as much as I dislike the AE, thanks to Octo's amazing instructions, I got it working in SS and it actually loads relatively quickly. Only it doesn't like loading LUA files that lack the metadata tags.

tl'dr - I'm redoing the code base for Soulstorm from scratch. overmind has some new sounds for me, and there are some other models and such in the works that I don't think I've shown off yet.

yay! I remember some talk of you all converging with the FOK team on this one, is this still true? whether it was just a mere few model trade offs or full collaboration of helping bring the modders DE into fok I don't recall...

I wish that these DE are better than SS´. Knowing our community, i think that this mod will rock. Haemonculus as builder is just feels weird, oh well, i must have played SS too much.
But the good thing is that warp beasts are relic unit, not Vect, i have always hated using named characters too much.

There we were, ready to charge the loyalist scum, and then suddenly we were under fire from our west flank. Batshit mental. We turn to return fire, and somehow they sneaked a bunker in, right next to us! We didn't have any meltas so we got the hell out of there. CREEEEED!

Well, I'll have a newer version of the Jumpgate available soon . . . not at my PC right now due to my wonderful lovely ISP who I love so much.

Anyhow, a brief overview of the structures and the gameplay of the Kabal of Evil (approaching public beta):

Shadowhawk Vassal:
- A modified Raven fighter craft used by the Dark Eldar for large-scale planetary raids.
- HQ structure.
- Produces: Haemonculi, Mandrakes and the Master of Blades or the Decapitator.
- Contains researches and addons that allow it to activate dormant weapons systems and take flight.

Jumpgate:
- A psionic gate that acts as an intermediary between the material plane and the Eldar Webway.
- Structure for the holding and transportation of units.
- Produces: Drachon/Drachite, Warp Beast Predator.
- Shrouded by whispering shadows and capable of limited teleportation, this arcane structure has a hard cap of three.

Warp Generator:
- A simple device that converts Empyreal energy into a format that the Dark Eldar can use to power their army.
- Stationary structure that produces the Power resource and is capable of Relocation.
- Can be upgraded with an addon that cloaks the Generator at a cost of its structural integrity.
- Contains global Power upgrades.

Psychic Resonator:
- An arcane device with a Haemonculus trapped in its core. Cackling madly, the Haemonculus tests out new equipment for use on the battlefield.
- Primary research structure.
- Contains researches to unlock unit upgrades and addons that allow the Resonator to move across the battlefield.

Gameplay:

You have a strong Tier 1 force, however they lack upgrades and as such are weak through Tier 2 and into Tier 3.

Your commanders and squad leaders are what shape your army - the wargear and upgrades you give them will give you the edge in Tier 3/Tier 4.

Tactics include a Tier 1 rush, or harrassing the enemy until you can amass an upgraded late-game force.

Your base has the option to be mobile for a reason. Use the mobility. Generators can be built anywhere, so establish farms all over the map to help you survive to the end-game.

You can choose between a standard Dark Eldar force . . . or you can try out the all new Wych Cult branch, designed as a counter to melee-heavy/anti-ranged blob race builds.

As the mod is fast approaching it's first public release woah what public release no wai, I've decided to publish several news updates featuring the squads you are likely to use in the Kabal of Evil™ modification which will give a bit of an overview about the squad and will also define their role(s) ingame. First up is the most powerful, feared and respected individual in the Kabal - the Archon, or Archite.

Overview:

Commander and lord of an entire Kabal, the Archon has access to a wealth of upgrades that complement his intended role - that of a combat powerhouse. He (or she, in the case of the Archite), takes great pleasure in hand to hand combat; the more skilled or dangerous the opponent, the more the Lord or Lady revels in spilling its blood and drinking its soul where applicable. The feeling of pride, that taste of victory that comes from defeating and humiliating a worthy adversary? Simply exquisite. Lesser enemies are deemed as being unworthy of a decent death, and to that end the Archon will simply spill their guts or slash their tendons with simple, elegant, yet blindingly fast motions that will cause them to linger on the battlefield, painfully wounded but unable to fight or escape. A fitting end for such an unworthy combatant.

Availability: Tier 2

Built from: Cult Portal (dormant or active)

Cost: 300 Requisition, 40 Power

Default loadout: Chainsabre and splinter pistol

Effective against: Commanders, Monsters and Daemons. Can be upgraded to Jump Infantry and with weapons that make him effective against Vehicles and/or Buildings.

Example wargear and abilities:

Agoniser: a somewhat popular weapon amongst Dark Eldar, this weapon upgrade increases the Archon's base DPS by a fair amount and increases AP values across the board. Has a substantial AP values against monster_medium, monster_high and daemon armour types (to account for the TT ruling that allows units with an Agoniser to wound tough targets easily). Replaces the Archon's Chainsabre.

Darkling Pistol: a miniaturised, compacted version of the infamous Dark Lance, this weapon is very short ranged, but packs a rather wicked punch. Nowhere near as strong as its larger cousin, but its AP values are undiminished. Effective against most unit types, though it lacks the punch to deal serious damage to reinforced vehicles and structures. Replaces the Archon's Splinter Pistol.

Scourge Wings: literally what the wargear's name states. A jump pack that enables the Archon to utilise the Jump ability. The ability has enough charge for three continual jumps.

Shadowfield: a rare but much-valued artefact, this piece of equipment generates a field of near-darkness around the bearer, confusing the enemy's gaze as well as providing an incredibly substantial personal force field. However, the field is subject to overloading upon activation in rare cases - the ancient technology is not always incredibly reliant, even in the skilled hands of a Kabalite commander. Provides the Shadowfield ability which reduces all incoming melee and ranged damage for a time.

Bladed Armour: Combining the protective flexibility of Warrior Mesh Armour, this armour is designed with armour-piercing blades great for turning aside enemy blows, and in addition makes for a handy impromptu weapon when the opportunity presents itself. Provides a slight reduction to incoming melee damage, and also inflicts damage upon every model in combat with the Archon (or Archite).

Summary: At first glance, the Archon (and moreso in the case of the Archite) is a decent melee commander, albeit with low health (his initial health is the same as an unupgraded Chaos Sorceror - 800). His high Morale (800) is comparable to other Kabal commanders, however it is in stark contrast to the generally low Morale of the Kabal footsoldiers (with a few notable exceptions). Highly-ranked Dark Eldar revel in their superiority (sometimes to the point of delusional self-grandeur) and as such rarely flee from a fight when there is blood to be spilled and pain to be caused.

Addendum: You should notice that I've mentioned the Archite several times in this news post. Tabletop veterans and fluff experts will know that the Archite is the Archon's equivalent in a Wych Cult raiding force.

@ yhtomi: It'll be one of the first choices you make when you start any game

Dark Eldar Commanders: the Master of Blades

** no image available in archives **

Overview:

Time for a new preview! A powerful secondary commander, the mysterious Master of Blades. Not the only secondary Commander available to the Dark Eldar, as there is the obvious Drachon and also the Master of Blade's equivalent in the Wych Cult Raiding Force. Drazhar was the first of this enigmatic order; his actions across the Webway and beyond have inspired a select few Incubi Masters to hone their skills in the way that only one of the Eldar could - to the point of perfection. Aloof and unusually reserved for one of the so-called "depraved" Dark Eldar, this small cadre of Incubi Masters sell their services to powerful and wealthy Kabals.

Availability: Tier 2

Built from: Shadowhawk Vassal (dormant or active)

Cost: 185 Requisition, 50 Power

Default loadout: Dual chainsabres, Incubi Helm (unidentified variant, possibly more similar to the Scorpion helmets and less 'corrupted' (with regards to what regular "Dark" Eldar normally do to Eldar wargear spoils - see Terrorfex and Horrorfex grenade entries)).

Effective against: Most single-entity squads (Commanders, Monsters and Daemons) barring Vehicles. Lacks any ranged weaponry and has no options to upgrade beyond his melee capabilities.

Example wargear and abilities:

Dual Power Weapons: Typical Eldar blades with an inbuilt energy field that disrupts organic and non-organic matter alike, power weapons are the bane of infantry units. While quite an ordinary weapon in the upper echelons of Commorragh, in the hands of a Master of Blades these weapons become something quite extraordinary. Replaces the dual chainsabres.

Dual Shredding Blades: A weapon first invented by Drazhar, the first Master of Blades, these weapons are fashioned by an Incubi Master upon his ascension to a Master of the Blade. Unique to every Master of Blades, these weapons can take many horrific forms, however they are all designed to maim and cripple their target in the most elegant way possible. Replaces the dual chainsabres or dual power weapons.

Summary: A dedicated hand-to-hand specialist, the Master of Blades can excel even the Archon in terms of pure killing power, however his comparative frailty means that his role is of a secondary commander; you can't just throw him at the toughest enemy unit and expect him to survive. He excels at fighting single enemies - his abilities and upgrades make him extremely effective at weakening, disrupting and even killing other secondary commanders, as well as Monster and Daemon-type units, outright.

Static vehicles half-summoned from the Webway, these structures require a significant infusion of resources to bring them fully into the material world and repair the damage they suffered whilst travelling.